


I Didn’t Sign Up For This

by sleepysailors



Series: Hear Me Out [1]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Deaf Character, Deaf Racetrack Higgins, Fluff, M/M, Swearing, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 16:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17247380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepysailors/pseuds/sleepysailors
Summary: Swim class with Brooklyn littles





	I Didn’t Sign Up For This

New York City in the summer is a new kind of hot. Ask anyone. The sun always found a way to bounce around the concrete jungle turning it, and everyone in it into a hot muggy mess.

 

It was damn near sunset by the time Racetrack Higgins made it to the docks.They had planned to meet up later in the week but borough business called, like it always did. He wandered down the docks, rolling up his sleeves as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Spottie Boy!” He called out hoping he’d show himself. Most of dock hands had headed home for the day making it a perfect place for the kids to cool off.

 

Spot bobbed in the water supporting two of his little guys, that he had promised to teach to swim. In Manhattan all the kids learned to read, in The Bronx they all learned to fight, but in Brooklyn they learned to swim. After one too many of them had been lost to the water, their old leader, Prospect, made it law. Itey lay on his back next to the three leisurely floating around the water, waiting for Spot to finish the rules, when Race passed by calling out Spot’s name.

 

“Iet’s can you grab him for me?” Spot asked, knowing that shouting for him was useless.

 

“He’s your problem, pass them here, go get your mess.” Itey teased, taking the young boys off of Spot as he pulled himself from the water.

 

Spot immediately stomped and jumped on the deck hoping that would catch his attention but the swaying under his feet distorted any vibrations. Shaking the water once from his  hair he had made his choice, and ran at the boy full force. He was sure Race would feel him coming but much to Spot’s delight he didn’t. Five feet away he slowed only a bit before launching himself onto Racer’s back. Surprise piggyback rides were common between the two but usually it ended with one or both of them on the ground. Racer stumbled a step before regaining his balance and supporting the dripping boy. “ _Guess who,”_ Spot signed in front of his face.

 

“Spot! Why are you all wet!” Race screeched before releasing his legs and dropping him butt first onto the dock.

 

“ _How’d_ _you guess_?” Spot asked before reaching out a hand to be pulled to his feet. ” _What are you doing here?”_

 

“Lookin’ for you of course,” Race smiled before delivering the message, “Smalls wants to change this months meeting to Woodside, cause one of her girls flooded the main floor so they’re still moppin’ away. Said as long as it’s not Hatten I’se happy.”

 

Spot nodded along his agreement. “ _Fair play, you heard from Richmond lately?”_

 

“I don’t know if they still exist.” Racer teased, the long standing joke that Richmond was the redheaded stepchild of the city.

 

Spot grunted in agreement and was about to invite him for a swim when one of his two students shrieked his name across the water snapping his head around.

 

“What’s up?” Race asked, curious about what he had missed but not wanting to ask straight out.”

 

“Just Connor and Stitches, I’m supposed to be teachin’ em to swim.”

 

“Stitches?” Race asked “He new?”

 

“Yup, little Italian fella, day one split his head and well... you’ll see.” Spot waved for him to follow him. Sure enough Stitches had earned his name. A freshly mended cut ran clear across his forehead and down his cheek. Racer’s eyes went wide at the sight of him before turning to Spot for some explanation. “ _Vase on the top shelf._ ” Racer nodded his understanding before Spot turned to Itey and his two little ones clinging to the wood for support.

 

Spot quickly pencil dove into the water, “Guys, this is Race he’s gonna help me out today.”

 

“I’ll teach from the sides. _”_ Racer interjected.

 

“Bet you can’t…” Spot began before being cut off.

 

“I can.”

 

“Let me finish I was saying, I bet you can’t do a flip. But it’s okay if you’re scared.” He teased nudging Itey under the water

 

“How much?” Race said before mentally kicking himself for being so easily won over.

 

“A penny.”

 

“Dime.”

 

“Nickel, final offer.”

 

In a flurry Race kicked off his shoes, pulled off his over clothes, and flipped perfectly into the water splashing the group as he entered. Spot nudged Itey “Give him the nickel and you won’t have to teach today.” Itey quickly jumped out of the water and began digging for the coin, screeching children was never his strong suit. Spot waited for Racer to resurface, counting to 5 then to 10. “You think he’s okay right?” Spot asked beginning to worry.

 

Just then Racer popped up spitting a mouthful of salty water directly into Spot’s face. He grinned holding out a hand as he kicked his legs “Nickel please!” Spot dunked him back under and when he popped back up Itey flicked him a coin.

 

“They’re your problem now.” Itey smiled laying out to dry on the hot dock.

 

The two clung onto Spot like a life raft trying to mimic his treading water, his signs became short and hard to read with only one hand coming out of the water at once. He quickly passed Race the smaller of the two boys, Stitches, he instantly began chattering happily away to him. His words had too much tongue and they came out to fast for Racer to even grasp the gist of it.

 

“ _What’s he saying?”_ Race desperately signed to Spot.

 

“ _No idea, doesn’t speak much English._ ”

 

“ _I didn’t sign up for this!_ ”

 

Racer shot him a look that could only be translated as ‘What the fuck’ before silently demanding a trade. Spot shrugged once and passed him Connor. It only took a second for Race to realize his mistake for as soon as he asked the boy to kick his feet the little one let out the highest scream any of them had ever heard, it stuck uncomfortably in Racer’s chest. As soon as he was done screeching the little one burst into tears.

 

“Bud? I’m gonna let you scream all you want it ain’t gonna bug me one bit. But you ain’t gonna learn nothing.” Racer tried keeping his voice calm, the boy paused to listen for a second before screaming again “Hey what the hell?” The little one continued to cry as Racer supported both of them in the water. “I can’t understand ya if you’se yellin’” He said firmly.

 

It did nothing to stop the tears, so he waited for Connor to take another breath to continue to scream. When he had finished taking a breath, Racer took him under the arms and dunked him under the water before quickly bringing him back up. The shock of being summeraged made him stop crying for only a second while he spat the salty water from his mouth.

 

“Are you hurt?” Race demanded.

 

Connor shook his head once sniffling.

 

“No. Good! Are you throwing up?” He asked softening a bit.

 

He shook his head again becoming curious.

 

“Perfect!” Race beamed before becoming serious again, “Well are you on fire?”

 

Connor let out a giggle, “No fire don’t mix with water!”

 

“You’se a smart one! Well if you ain’t hurt, you ain’t puking and I’m pretty sure, wait let me check,” he dipped the boy in and out of the water up to his shoulders like a tea bag before agreeing, “Yep I’m pretty sure you ain’t on fire so why’se you yellin?” Connor paused in thought for a second trying to come up with a solid answer but Racer interjected before he could. “My God! It’s because of the sea monster isn’t it?”

 

“Sea monsters ain’t real.” Connor giggled as the older boy made a show of frantically searching for the creature.

 

“You sure?” Race asked eyes wide, Connor nodded along “Well you sure we shouldn’t look? I hear if you see one they gotta give you all their gold.” He said seriously before putting his face in the water, blowing bubbles out. He came back up for air shaking the hair out of his eyes, before becoming completely serious “Will you help me find him?”

 

Connor smiled and agreed before putting his face in the water as well, as Racer supported him.

 

“That’s good blow out lots a bubbles!” He praised.

 

“I didn’t see him!” Connor exclaimed before throwing his face back into the water.

 

Spot glanced across the water hearing the bursts of excitement, “ _What are you doing?_ ” He signed amused by Racer’s unconventional approach.

 

“Hunting monsters for gold.” He hollered back, smiling at the exasperation on Spot’s face.

 

Connor popped his head out of the water shrieking again but this time out of joy “I see him, he’s over there!”

 

“You gotta chase him then! Here on your belly,” Race maneuvered the boy so he was floating on his tummy with only a little support, “Atta boy! Now kick kick kick!” He shouted nearly as excited as the little one as they paddled around the water.

 

He placed his face back in the water blowing more bubbles as he doggy paddled about completely unaware that Racer’s hands had no longer hovered over him. He inched them both towards the dock so he could grab a penny from his pants pocket without the child’s notice. A second later the little one screamed “He’s right there, I see him! I see him!”  

 

After a promise to go collect their bounty Race dove into the water penny in hand seeing the ‘monster’ on the way down was only a tuft of seaweed. He shot back to the surface grabbing the boy around the middle, both of them yelling out at the thrill of victory. “He was a poor one but he wants you to have it.” Racer grinned passing him the penny. He ruffled his hair and smiled as Connor announced he had to show off his winnings before paddling away to Spot and Stitches.

 

Spot still hadn’t convinced his charge to even attempt to kick while Racer’s happily paddled about babbling about his successful hunt.

 

“How’d you do that?” Spot asked as Race floated around keeping an eye on his little swimmer.

 

“ _Magic._ ” Race signed, making his hands twinkle a second longer in a bit of a brag. “Pass him here.” He demanded, “Connor! Come show Stitches what you learned.”

It took close to an hour but even with the language barrier the three of them managed to get Stitches weakly swimming about. His legs and arms wouldn’t cooperate but they managed to get him to float well enough.

 

The sun was getting low when Skittery came by in a frenzy, Spot having forgotten to pass on that he’d be having swim lessons today set the boys mind wild with worry.

 

Connor was the first one out happily showing off his coin as Skittery tried to dry both of the boys off the best he could before demanding they put on their shirts again. Before taking them back home.

 

“Won’t happen again Skit!” Spot called out in an apology, the two of them left bobbing alone in the water. Spot floated on his back grabbing Racer’s pinky to prompt him to join him. He squeezed his finger once to get his attention “ _You’re amazing you know that_?”

 

“What I do?” Race smiled flipping to tread water.

 

“Just,” Spot began before stopping himself and pulling them both under the dock out of view from any unfriendly eyes, “ _You just surprise me… constantly_.”

 

“Don’t get soft on me now its just swimin’.” He grinned leaning into the hand that rested on his cheek.

 

“Okay.” Spot whispered pulling him in for a soft kiss as the sky above them blazed red and orange. Racer pressed into him deepening the kiss as the sunset behind the horizon only breaking it off when they were both out of breath, “So,” Spot smiled “ _Same time next week, I’ll bring the sea monsters pennies._ ”

 

“Same time next week.” Racer agreed before leaning back in for one more peck.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This is a short piece that takes place after Listen Up. Please let me know what you think. My cat and I wrote it in like 3 hours.
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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